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Robert Whittaker still has plenty of fight left in him.
After a disappointing loss to current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in his last outing, Whittaker had something to prove in his return at UFC 298. Whittaker showed that he’s still just as dangerous as ever as he engaged in a three-round war on the feet with Paulo Costa before ultimately earning a unanimous decision victory.
Nothing came easy but Whittaker’s output and accuracy just kept tagging Costa round after round. He also did a lot of damage with a blistering series of calf kicks that left golf-ball sized swelling in Costa’s shin.
In the end, the judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Whittaker to get the nod.
“This is the exact fight I prepared for,” Whittaker said. “He’s a tough dude. I put a lot of pressure on myself to come here and perform, especially after my last fight. I’m looking to make an amends with Dricus. I’m back.”
When the fight got underway, Costa came out firing immediately, displaying the kind of power that made him one the best middleweights in the world but Whittaker was undeterred. Whittaker adjusted to the early aggression and then countered with a series of stiff calf kicks that landed with a sickening thud.
Swelling started to form on Costa’s lead leg, which slowed him down enough that Whittaker used his speed to catch the Brazilian off guard. Just when it was looking like Whittaker was in control, Costa uncorked a hellacious spinning heel kick that blasted the former champion and put him on wobbly legs.
Costa rushed forward looking for the finish but time ran out before he could put Whittaker away.
As the second round got underway, Costa’s confidence surged but Whittaker wasn’t backing down as he continued to stand in the pocket during every exchange. Whittaker was still landing with his combinations, including more of those nasty calf kicks that were doing a lot of damage.
Costa came back at him with a powerful jab that saw Whittaker’s face turn into a bloody mess but he didn’t show any signs of slowing down. As much as Costa had the power advantage, Whittaker just kept connecting with more frequency, although he had to be wary about getting too aggressive on the feet.
Nothing could get Costa to back down as he continued marching forward and he cracked Whittaker with several hard leg kicks of his own. Costa also kept finding a home for his lead jab but Whittaker was giving as good as he was getting in every exchange.
Over three rounds, Whittaker’s volume really was the difference as he just kept tagging Costa repeatedly and never giving the one-time title challenger much of an opportunity to come back at him.
With the win, Whittaker jumps right back in the title picture at 185 pounds and he’ll undoubtedly keep a close eye on the division where du Plessis now holds the title.
Anthony Hernandez kept his momentum going at UFC 298 with another impressive submission win to add to his resume.
This time Hernandez put in work against a frightening striker in Roman Kopylov, who didn’t give him an inch until the fight finally landed on the floor in the second round. Once Hernandez had control on his terms, he shredded Kopylov’s defense and locked on the fight ending rear-naked choke.
The end came with Kopylov tapping out at 3:23 in the second round.
FLUFFY HERNANDEZ TAPS OUT KOPYLOV IN TWO ROUNDS
THAT SMILE AT THE CAMERA WAS INCREDIBLE #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/tOUiZ3g4nW
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 18, 2024
“I just had to get out of my own way,” Hernandez said about the win. “I mess up a lot. I’m done messing up, I want to make my run for the title. I’ve been conditioning my body. I’m ready to show the world.”
Well known for his precision striking, Kopylov set the tone early with some nasty body kicks and a lead jab that continuously found a home on Hernandez’s chin. In return, Hernandez closed the distance and looked for the takedown, although Kopylov refused to let him drag the fight to the ground.
Kopylov started to get a little bit looser with his striking in the second round as he began upping his volume and throwing with more power behind all of his shots. While he managed to connect with several stinging kicks as well as some well-timed punches to the body, Hernandez just kept inviting Kopylov to come after him.
That aggression allowed Hernandez to turn to his grappling again as he slipped inside for a picture-perfect double-leg takedown to put Kopylov on the canvas. It didn’t take long for Hernandez to advance his position to get behind Kopylov and lock onto his back as he began searching for submissions.
It appeared that Hernandez had the rear-naked choke applied but somehow Kopylov fought out of the hold. It was momentary success as Hernandez just made a quick adjustment and this time he got the arms completely under the chin and he tightened his grip, which forced Kopylov to tap out.
Hernandez has now earned five wins in a row with four ending by knockout or submission as he continues his climb up the middleweight ranks. This latest performance should probably get him noticed enough for ranked competition in the near future.
Reminder: We will deliver live round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 298’s entire five-fight pay-per-view (PPV) main card RIGHT HERE, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2024 pay-per-view (PPV) event season TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 17) with an absolutely loaded card from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. UFC 298’s main event will feature the brewing rivalry between long-time Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, putting his belt on the line against supremely confident up-and-coming contender, Ilia Topuria. In UFC 298’s co-main event, No. 3-seeded contender, Robert Whittaker, will attempt to secure a 185-pound title shot and reclaim his crown at the expense of Brazil’s Million-Dollar Man, Paulo Costa (No. 6). We’ve also got Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili and so much more!
“OLD SCHOOL VS. NEW SCHOOL BABY!”
Before that action begins at 10 p.m. ET later this evening, though, MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 “Prelims” undercard below, beginning with the first fight at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (ESPN will simulcast the undercard action at 8 p.m. ET). We will then cover UFC 298’s PPV main card in a separate thread right here, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Bet on UFC 298 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Volkanovski vs. Topuria.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 298 “Prelims” undercard results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 298 QUICK RESULTS:
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Junior Tafa Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera — Nakamura def. Vera by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Mingyang Zhang vs. Brendson Ribeiro — Zhang def. Ribeiro by KO (punches) at 1:41 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS! Danny Barlow vs. Josh Quinlan — Barlow def. Quinlan by TKO (punches) at of 1:18 Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS! Val Woodburn vs. Oban Elliott — Elliott def. Woodburn by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick — Maverick def. Lee by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
UFC 298 ESPN+ ‘PRELIMS’ PLAY-BY-PLAY RESULTS:
Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Junior Tafa
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera
Round one: Low kick exchange to start the fight. Lots of feints from Nakamura. Vera tries a spinning kick to the thigh and Nakamura takes him down, kicking off a scramble. Vera hunting a heel hook, but Nakamura has his knee out and limp-legs free a minute in. Holding onto turtle position. Vera rolls and Nakamura tries to dive in with punches. Heavy left hands. Nakamura avoids another leglock sequence and settles in guard two minutes in. Nasty left hand. Nice upkick by Vera, who avoids the next diving punch and tries to invert. Nakamura counters and moves to side control. Two minutes to go.
Vera turns to his knees, then rolls to his back again. Nakamura postures up for punches, dives out of another armbar attempt, scrambles back into top guard. One minute to go. Nakamura moves to half guard, avoids yet another leg attack, and tries to come down with punches. Some final shots before the bell. 10-9 Nakamura.
Round two: Low kick from Nakamura in the opening seconds. He catches a kick and takes Vera down once again, looking for punches. Vera still trying to invert and attack without success. One minute in. Side control for Nakamura. Vera gets to his knees, then surrenders full guard. Nakamura postures, can’t find the punches two minutes in. Upkicks from Vera, who looks for a deep half guard sweep without success. Elbow from Nakamura, who takes the back and looks for the RNC. Good roll by Vera, still on the bottom with two minutes to go.
Vera stuck on his knees, tries another failed leg attack. Nakamura hunting the back. One minute to go. Side control for Nakamura, Vera turns to his knees, Nakamura slams him back to the mat. Solid punches from guard. 10-9 Nakamura.
Round three: Vera tries a head kick to start, staying light on his feet. Nakamura slowly advancing, lands a leaping right hook. Vera tries a wheel kick and slips to the ground, where Nakamura whacks him with punches. Nakamura looks for the back as they scramble a minute in. Hard knee. Vera rolls, eats a huge right hand as Nakamura comes down into guard. Vera rolls for another leglock two minutes in, then tries to cinch up an inverted triangle to no avail. Another leglock attack with two minutes to go. Nakamura pulls his knee out with two minutes to go.
Nakamura spins away and tries to fire punches from guard. One minute to go. North-south for Nakamura, then the front headlock, then side control. Vera turns to a knee and gets to hie feet, then tries and fails another rolling kneebar. Nakamura postures up for some hard punches. 10-9 Nakamura.
Final result: Nakamura def. Vera by unanimous decision
Mingyang Zhang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Round one: Low kicks from Zhang to start. Solid body kick. Ribeiro stings him with a jab, then a heavy right cross behind it. Another 1-2 from Ribeiro. They trade in the center. One minute in. 1-2-3 from Zhang and they slug it out, both landing heavy shots. Another heavy right by Ribeiro. Zhang complains of an apparent eye poke and Ribeiro tries to capitalize, only to run into a vicious 1-2-3 that sends him crumpling to the mat. Zhang stands over him and smashes him unconscious for a dramatic debut victory.
Final result: Zhang def. Ribeiro by KO (punches) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
Danny Barlow vs. Josh Quinlan
Round one: Barlow takes the center and fires an early head kick. Probing jabs, sharp straight left. Counter body kick a minute in. Jump knee just misses. Quinlan steps in with a lead right, eats a jab for it. Quinlan struggling with the range so far. Body kick from him, straight left and low kicks from Barlow. Two minutes in. Barlow falls short with a flying knee and right hand. There’s a stiff jab by Quinlan. Left hook misses high. Counter 1-2 by Barlow. Trading kicks in center cage. Hard straight left by Barlow with two minutes to go.
Stiff jab and counter left land for Barlow. Quinlan answers with a heavy southpaw 2-3 and avoids the next flying knee. Barlow whiffs on some counters before finding the mark with a straight left. Low kick from Quinlan with a minute to go. Barlow steps in with a knee and sticks a thumb in Quinlan’s eye as he exits, but Quinlan brushes it off and is good to keep going. Good right hand lands for him. Harder counter left by Barlow, low kicks behind it. He chases Quinlan down with a pair of hard punches at the bell. 10-9 Barlow.
Round two: Quinlan looking more aggressive as Barlow keeps the jab in his face. Body kick from Quinlan, who falls short with a Superman punch. More jabs from Barlow and they trade kicks a minute in. Barlow cross counter, Quinlan low kick. Another sharp counter left by Barlow backs Quinlan off. Jabs, straight left. Two minutes in. Quinlan really struggling to consistently get inside as Barlow picks him off. There’s a decent sequence from Quinlan capped by a body kick. Another solid combo. Check hook and straight left from Barlow, then another flying knee attempt. Two minutes to go.
Barlow on the front foot now. Quinlan backs him to the center and punts him directly in the cup, prompting a minute’s pause. Another hard straight left from Barlow when they resume. Quinlan body kick met by a straight left. Body knee, elbow, overhand left, 1-2 all land for Barlow with a minute to go. More heavy punches. Quinlan shoots, denied. Barlow tries another flying knee, takes a glancing low blow. Hard counter left. 10-9 Barlow.
Round three: Barlow cracks him with yet another straight left, then tries another jump knee. Body kick from Quinlan in return. Barlow flying knee just misses and they trade right hands. Quinlan finally sells out on a flurry and Barlow melts him with the nastiest left hand yet. Barlow hammering away, clubbing Quinlan to the ground a second and third time before the ref intervenes.
Final result: Barlow def. Quinlan by TKO (punches) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
Val Woodburn vs. Oban Elliott
Round one: Woodburn comes charging after Elliott, who ties up and puts him on the fence. Solid knee on the exit from Elliott. Elliott fires a head kick and gets clipped by an overhand right, prompting Woodburn to chase him down with haymakers and drop him near the fence. Elliott manages to scramble free, escape the clinch, then take Woodburn down when he continues to charge. Elliott quickly takes his back, slips in both hooks, and hammers away with punches. Alternating between punches and choke attempts. Two minutes in. Woodburn avoiding the choke but not doing much to escape as Elliott softens him up. Two minutes to go.
More good punches from Elliott, but he just can’t seem to get his forearm under Woodburn’s chin. He loses a hook, drops an elbow, then retakes half guard. One minute to go. Solid elbows and he takes mount, posturing up for yet more elbows. Woodburn gives up his back as the damage piles up. 10-9 Elliott.
Round two: Elliott tosses out some kicks as Woodburn waits for a chance to step in. Huge counter right from Elliott and both men sling heat, though neither connects. Another straight right by Elliott, then a body kick a minute in. Jabs landing for him. Woodburn steps in, denies a level change, and gets taken to the fence. Elbow by Elliott on the exit and he goes back to leaning on the jab. Solid body kick, Woodburn tries to answer with a head kick two minutes in. Woodburn clips Elliott on one leg and knocks him over, then grabs a body lock off a caught kick. Elliott hits the switch and drags him down at the base of the fence, looking for the back once again. One hook in. Two minutes to go.
Elliott slips the other hook in and continues to hunt the choke. Decent punches landing for him. One minute to go. Woodburn once again defending his neck well but making no effort to try and escape. 10-9 Elliott.
Round three: Woodburn rushes in and immediately gets clinched, though he soon breaks free. Counter right by Elliott. More stiff jabs landing for Elliott as he circles. He changes levels, avoids an uppercut on the exit. Sharp 1-2 a minute in. Woodburn catches a kick and lands a 1-2. Elliott fires a long-distance double and bundles Woodborn to his back, much to the crowd’s displeasure. Elliott on top in half guard. Woodburn trying to turn into him two minutes in. Elliott not letting Woodburn get to his knees. Elliott quickly moves to mount. Two minutes to go.
Elliott playing tight. Now he postures up in triangle position, but Woodburn sits through and tries to take his back. Elliott gets to his feet as Woodburn holds the body lock. One minute to go. Woodburn looks for a takedown and eats elbows as he does. Elliott avoids a back take but can’t break Woodburn’s grip. They break in the last five seconds and Elliott cracks him with one last left hook. 10-9 Elliott.
Final result: Elliott def. Woodburn by unanimous decision
Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
Round one: Lee orthodox, Maverick southpaw. Low kicks from Maverick. Straight left into a body lock and she tries to muscle Lee to the mat. One minute in. Maverick looking for the back but overextends and ends up in bottom side control. She quickly sweeps back to her feet, only to eat a high-amplitude suplex. Again she returns to the feet and exits, eating an elbow along the way. She comes back with an overhand left two minutes in. Low kicks from Lee. Solid body kick catches Maverick stepping in. Maverick catches a kick and doubles up the left hand. Hard overhand left off a fake shot, best punch of the round so far. Two minutes to go.
Another left hand from Maverick to answer a body kick. Side kick to the midsection. They trade body kicks. Maverick outworking her in the latter half of the round, lands two more overhand lefts. One minute to go. Counters from Lee. Maverick low kick. Maverick punches into the clinch again and bullies her down, avoiding a guillotine along the way. 10-9 Maverick.
Round two: Lee opens with kicks, eats one in return. Maverick doing well with the low kicks. Lee head kick met by a series of left hands. Body kick exchange. Lee tries head kicks a minute in. She circles away from a clinch attempt. She jabs the air for a bit until Maverick transitions from a single-leg to a body lock against the fence. Knees from Maverick inside. Inside trip puts her on top in half guard and she slips out of Lee’s butterfly hook to secure position two minutes in. Heavy shoulder pressure from Maverick. Lee does a Lewis-esque Just Stand up to get away with two minutes to go.
Back to the long-range touch-and-go kickboxing. Glancing blows from both, slow-motion wheel kick misses for Lee. Maverick tries to clinch, can’t do so with a minute to go. Neither woman with a clean edge on the feet at the moment. Maverick shoots in the least 10 seconds, Lee counters with a head-and-arm throw, and Maverick sweeps into top position. 10-9 Maverick.
Round three: Jab to elbow by Maverick, body kick behind it. Combo inside, low kick. Lee not fighting like she’s behind; she’s still throwing out half-committal single strikes as Maverick cruises. One minute in. Maverick catches a kick and comes back with counters, then goes for a head kick. She punches into the body lock again and looks for the back, but Lee uses a two-on-one two break her grip and separate. Lee body kick, Maverick left hand. Two minutes in. Something of a sparring session at the moment, Maverick busier and more mobile and Lee content to pick her shots. Two minutes to go.
Both women fall short with punches. Maverick tries a knee tap, exits with punches. Slick head kick attempt and she avoids Lee’s own. Clean spinning back fist from Lee, who walks right into a single-leg and winds up in bottom guard. Looking to play a high guard with a minute to go. Maverick playing tight, forehead-to-face. Lee manages to wrap up a reverse triangle and swat at her body in the final seconds. 10-9 Lee.
Final result: Maverick def. Lee by unanimous decision
Remember: MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 298’s entire five-fight PPV main card RIGHT HERE, beginning at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. Bet on UFC 298 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
Road to UFC vet Zhang Mingyang continues to keep judges out of mix, adding another finish to his resume with a first-round starching of Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 298.
Mingyang expertly countered Ribeiro with a straight right and left hook to pick up a knockout win on Saturday’s preliminary card at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The finish can be seen below.
ZHANG MINGYANG RIGHT HAND LEFT HOOK KNOCKS OUT RIBEIRO EARLY #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/2Vlu97VZPU
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 18, 2024
Ribeiro showed himself willing to exchange hard punches early with Mingyang, who stalked forward looking for striking opportunities. Early on, the Brazilian had some success, cracking his opponent with a left hand.
Mingyang complained of an eye poke after one feisty exchange, and it appeared he may be compromised as Ribeiro surged forward. Instead, he landed a massive combination of punches that sent Ribeiro to the canvas, and a few well-placed hammerfists finished the job at 1:41 of the first round.
In 23 professional fights, Mingyang has seen scorecards just once. Saturday’s win also upped his current streak of finishes to 10, including his brutal upset knockout of George Tokkos at Road to UFC.
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